All Things Purple and the Sooners

Today is my dear, dear friend's birthday. She was the first lady I met at our OK home church and has become one of my favorite ladies and closest friends. Her husband actually introduced us and has probably regretted that introduction many times. Each time I am in OK we tease him that he is a Kim widower, HA~HA~HA! Many pedicures, dinners & lunches out, and late night shopping trips have bonded us together. Seriously, we have raised our daughters together, moved to different homes together, and have studied the Word of God together.

Being the sweet person she is, she never complained when her birthday came along in December and our regular group of eight ladies who always celebrated one another's birthdays was often too busy to spend her day with her. I decided about 8 years ago that was going to change so she and I began an annual birthday/Christmas just the two of us girls night out. It was a great way to reconnect during the super busy season and for her to feel a bit pampered, which is how every girl should feel on her birthday. Moving to NC brought a halt to our tradition so I decided this year to use my blog to show how much she means to me!

Meet Rhonda....

This is Rhonda (in the purple), myself, and our friend, Kim S. We had been to a Beth Moore conference and stopped off to eat some chocolate before heading off to do some shopping. Bible study, chocolate, and shopping all in one day!

\

This photo was taken on our lunch break during the Beth Moore Bible study. We eat Mexican food every chance we get and this day was no exception. Meet some of my other dear friends...Kim S, Melissa, Me, Rhonda, and Shawn.

Rhonda is passionate about purple! I think this is my favorite photo of the two of us.

Not the best quality but I had to add this as is shows her other passion...her SOONERS! I know everyone says an OU Sooner and an OSU Cowboy can't get along but we are living proof that just isn't so!

I hope you have enjoyed meeting Rhonda and a few of my other Okie gals. Leave her a note wishing her a happy birthday in the comments section please!


Happy Birthday sweet Rhonda!!! I love you and pray every dream you have ever dreamed comes true this year.

Sometimes It's Worth The Wait!

Since my girls were small, I have wanted to take them to see The Nutcracker Ballet. Each year as Christmas was ending, I realized that once again I had failed to get tickets in a timely manner and would have to put that on my "to do next year" list.

Recently I recieved an email from our homeschool group that we would have the opportunity to attend a school performance in Myrtle Beach at the high school PAC. I signed up right away, not wanting to miss the chance to get our seats. At just $5.00 per ticket I didn't know what level of performance we would see but the girls and I were just excited to see the ballet.

This morning we were up and out the door early, 8:00 am to be exact...an early morning for this home educating family! We made a stop at Starbucks for some energy and headed to the high school. Our seats were great, 4th row from the front! The dancers were from the Coastal Youth Ballet Theater and danced beautifully. The music and props were top notch. We enjoyed every minute of the Nutcracker.

Thanks to Natalie for the photos. She forgot to grab her camera on the way out the door this morning, it WAS early!, so she borrowed mine and snapped a few pics for us.

Is the Nutcracker on your Christmas to do list? What is your favorite Christmas play or movie?

Thanks for taking time to drop by, please leave me a comment!

Kim

Be My Guest!

Today I was featured on Three Mango Seeds blog as a guest! www.threemangoseeds.blogspot.com Please head over and give Clydia some love! Merry Christmas!!!

Meet My Family

Just like everyone else, my family has been super busy since just before Thanksgiving. We did take the time to have some professional pictures made by the super talented Kelly Higgins of KMH Photography. I may have mentioned that my oldest daughter is a photographer but she really wanted her mentor and friend to take these photos. We first met Kelly through my hair stylist at a hair salon in Calabash, NC. I quickly hired Kelly to take Natalie's senior pictures. Kelly was still in college but did an outstanding job and as a double blessing, she and Natalie hit if off right away. Soon Kelly asked Natalie to be her assistant and Natalie was thrilled to have a mentor. They have worked together several times and have become great friends. I am still amazed at how God places the right people in our lives at just the right time! 

Kelly gave me her blessing to share these with you. My husband, you have "met" him as Superman, is Andy. Isn't he just super handsome?  He is my best friend and I can't wait to see where our adventures take us in the future. My oldest daughter, Natalie, has the cute short hair while Allyson, my baby, has the long hair. As you can tell my daughters are polar opposites and I wouldn't have it any other way. They are my favorite girls in the world.

Take the time to have your family photographed, even if just by a friend.  Chose a fun location and clothes that coordinate.  Just enjoy yourselves and let your personalities shine! 

Thanks for taking the time to drop by.  Come back soon as I promise to be posting about Christmas soon!

Happy Thanksgiving

My parents have arrived from Oklahoma and we are super excited to be sharing our area beaches with them this week.  After giving thanks on Thursday, we will be celebrating my daughter's 20th birthday on Friday, then attending the Intracoastal Waterway Christmas Flotilla on Saturday!  We have a busy weekend ahead of us! 

I will be taking a bit of a break and be back soon ready to share some new pics and stories of these events and more.  

Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends!  See you soon!

Here is my birthday girl at Sam's Club last weekend right after she purchased her new toy!  Isn't she precious?  Hard to believe it has been 20 years since she stole our hearts! 

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

I must apologize for being so late with passing The Versatile Blogger on in a timely manner.  Now, being a new blogger I had to learn the rules of blogging and have been thankful to a few ladies who have been so helpful to teach me!   Rule number 1, thank and link back to the one who gave me the award.  Many thanks to Clydia at Three Mango Seeds for this opportunity to share the love. She is super creative and makes some amazing signs as well as revamps furniture in some incredible ways.  Please drop by and you might just find something you need for your home.

Rule number 2?  I am to share 7 things about me that you might not know....

1)  I met Superman when we were both 15 and in the high school marching band.  He was the drum major and I was a little testy with him.  I thought having my boyfriend as the drum major should give me room to be a little sassy...well, that little sassy got me kicked right out of band one day!  It was my first lesson in submission to my man.  Thankfully, I learned that lesson quickly and we have been married for 23 adventure filled years.

2) I have been a home educating momma for 12 years.  It is an honor and a joy to be with my children on a daily basis, watching them learn and grow into young adults.

3) I have lived in more than 15 houses since I was born!

4) I am an Independent Kitchen Consultant for The Pampered Chef.  I tied on my apron 13 years ago and so enjoy helping others to "discover the chef in you!"

5) I enjoy studying the Word of God with other women.  Beth Moore and John Eldridge are my favorite Bible studies to dig into!

6) I find organizing to be great fun!  My friends tease me when I want to take yet another seminar or read another book on the subject.

7) I traveled, ALONE, to Istanbul, Turkey!  I went to see a dear friend and we had an amazing two weeks touring her new home city and other parts of Turkey. 

I truly live each day in the moment, trying to seek God for His perfect will in my life.
NOW, for the fun part!  I chose 4 blogs I want to award the Versatile Blogger to, based on different reasons.

Jesse at Good Girl Gone Glad.  She was the very first blogger I met and followed.  She is a super chic wife, momma, and artist.  Her blog is full of decorating, home educating ideas, and glimpses into the life of her adorable family.

Sheryl at The Altered Passport  A gifted paper artist, calligrapher, and world traveler, her blog is the perfect place to travel through her eyes without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.  She also shares her love of all paper arts and photography.

Joy at My Turkish Joys A professional chef who has followed her husband to Turkey as an expat. Her blog is for all foodies who want to learn about world cuisine.  When she travels, her blog posts almost always focus on foods in the area. 

The Girls of Project 64: Out of the Box here you will find 6 multi talented photographers who have a wide range of abilities.  Each week they "color" a photo based on the 64 crayons found in a box of Crayolas.  Others are invited to link up each week with their own version of the color.  The ladies who post to this blog live all over the US and in one foreign country so you can be sure it is truly versatile!

Be sure to visit these blogs soon and become their newest followers!
Remember, to leave me a message!  I just love to read them!

Just thought I'd share a bit of the beauty of Colorado today.  My mother took this photo on a recent trip to my home state.  The Aspens are gorgeous this time of year!  While she was in Vail she just happened to notice this particular tree had my name carved into it.  Amazing how God will give you something exciting when you least expect it!

Too Much To Do, Too Little Time!

Just wanted to make a little post to say a big Thank You! to my fellow blogger, Clydia,  of Three Mango Seeds, www.threemangoseeds.blogspot.com for the Versatile Blogger award she so kindly gave me and a few others on Tuesday.  I know this award comes with some responsibilities and I can't wait to fulfill them!  This week has been extra full for this blogger and since I am not blog literate I am simply not able to get the work finished.  I will get the links up and running as soon as possible!

Please drop by Clydia's blog and give her some love while waiting for me to get busy!

Have a Terrific Thursday!

Just thought I would share one of my favorite beach photos.  I took this on a day that my cousin and I spent exploring Sunset Beach, NC.  We literally rode our bikes all over the island, ending up at the end of the sand.  We were so hoping to find a patch of sand to ride our  (rented)  bikes across to Ocean Isle Beach, NC.  When we couldn't find one, we just enjoyed the view from Sunset Beach.